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Implicit Bias Training < Back June 2019 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: Implicit Bias Training Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: June 15, 2019 at 2:00:00 PM The Kirwan Institute for the study of race and ethnicity, located at the Ohio State University, defines implicit bias as “attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.” During our meeting Jessica Pepin will lead attendees on a journey of self-exploration and honest conversation around implicit bias; most particularity how such affects students, parents, and teachers in our public school education system. Below is a link to the 2017 Kirwan Institute report on implicit bias. This report addresses implicit bias, as researched and identified, with regard to criminal justice; health; education; housing, and neighborhood dynamics. We encourage you to review this report before the training. This meeting is open to the public – all are welcome. STATE OF THE SCIENCE – Kirwan Institute 2017 Implicit Bias Review Previous Next

Team presentation by Farmington High School's Social Justice Club. < Back July 2022 Meeting Who: What: Team presentation by Farmington High School's Social Justice Club. Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: July 16, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda Welcome Brief presentation on SBATs Introduction of speakers Farmington High School Social Justice Club presentation Announcements and closing Download Meeting Material Social Justice & Safe Spaces at FHS .pdf Download PDF • 8.18MB July Public Meeting - SBAT, CBAT .pdf Download PDF • 121KB Previous Next

We'll discuss Sheff Movement updates and be joined by the Director of Community Engagement for the School and State Finance Project, Erika Haynes < Back May 2022 Meeting Who: Speaker: Erika Haynes What: We'll discuss Sheff Movement updates and be joined by the Director of Community Engagement for the School and State Finance Project, Erika Haynes Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: May 21, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda Welcome Introduction of Speaker: Erika Haynes, director of community engagement for the School and State Finance Project School and State Finance Project Sheff Movement Updates Download Meeting Materials 2022 Legislative Session Summary.pptx .pdf Download PDF • 573KB Previous Next

We will discuss the Wintonbury Early Childhood and Global Experience Magnet Schools. Plus, end of school year updates and previews of exciting work ahead for summer and 2022-2023 with our School-based and Community-based Advocacy Teams.. < Back June 2022 Meeting Who: Speakers: Principal Samantha Straker, Principal Jeff Bernabe of Bloomfield Magnet Schools What: We will discuss the Wintonbury Early Childhood and Global Experience Magnet Schools. Plus, end of school year updates and previews of exciting work ahead for summer and 2022-2023 with our School-based and Community-based Advocacy Teams.. Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: June 18, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda: 1. Bloomfield Magnet Schools Guest Speakers: Principal Samantha Straker Wintonbury Early Childhood Magnet School (PK 3-4) Principal Jeff Bernabe Global Experience Magnet School (Grades 6-12) 2. End of school year updates and previews of exciting work ahead for summer and 2022 - 2023 with our School-based and Community-based advocacy teams, building youth voice and leadership in the movement. 3. Juneteenth Acknowledgement Download Meeting Materials GEMS - Presentation, Information Session - SMC, June. 2022.pptx .pdf Download PDF • 11.33MB Previous Next

Connecticut State Department of Education Update < Back December 2022 Meeting Who: Robin Cecere, State Department of Education What: Connecticut State Department of Education Update Where: Virtual: Via Zoom When: December 17, 2022 at 3:00:00 PM Meeting Agenda Welcome Robin Cecere, Director of School Choice Sheff Movement Updates Announcements & Closing RSVP for Meeting Here Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back July 2015 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: July 18, 2015 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

SMC Updates < Back March 2016 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: SMC Offices - 75 Charter Oak Ave. 06106 When: March 26, 2016 at 2:00:00 PM Previous Next

MEDIA COVERAGE HARTFORD COURANT April 3, 2022 UConn Law honors John Brittain, original Sheff lawyer, 33 years after school desegregation suit was filed SMC NOTES: Elizabeth Horton Sheff quoted: “Thank you for 33 years of teachable moments,” said Elizabeth Horton Sheff, lead plaintiff in the Sheff v. O’Neill case. “[Brittain] is the type of person who, if you ask him a question, he’s going to give you a lecture.” "Friends, colleagues and former students of John Brittain gathered Thursday evening at the UConn School of Law to celebrate the achievements of the longtime professor who focused closely on education and equity." Read Article by Seamus McAvoy CONNECTICUT MIRROR February 17, 2022 As CT seeks to desegregate schools, suburban districts are slow to help SMC NOTES: "This year, it was Darien’s school board rejecting a plan that would have enrolled 16 Norwalk kindergarteners throughout its elementary schools. The wealthy suburban districts surrounding Danbury decided earlier this year they wouldn’t be opening their classrooms, either." Read Article by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas WSHU PUBLIC RADIO February 3, 2022 After 33 years in the Connecticut courts, a Hartford school integration lawsuit reaches a settlement SMC NOTES: "Tom Kuser speaks with two attorneys attached to the [Sheff] case, Martha Stone, a former lead attorney in the original lawsuit and the founder and Director of the Center for Children's Advocacy at the University of Connecticut, and Scott Garosshen, a lead plaintiff’s attorney and an Associate with Horton, Dowd, Bartschi & Levesque." Listen by By Tom Kuser HARTFORD COURANT January 19, 2022 Settlement that would end 30-year Sheff v. O’Neill desegregation case promises to create space at magnet and suburban schools for all Hartford students SMC NOTES: Elizabeth Horton Sheff quoted: “Unlike in other parts of the nation, the end of court oversight is not going to mean a rollback of all the gains we have made in these 30 years.” "A Hartford Superior Court judge granted preliminary approval Thursday to a sweeping agreement that would create spaces at magnet and suburban schools for all Hartford students who want them and bring an end to the Sheff v. O’Neill case." Read Article by Seamus McAvoy CT PUBLIC RADIO October 23, 2018 With Sheff Back in Court, A Look At School Integration In Hartford SMC NOTES: Featuring Interim Executive Director Rachel (Gary) Martin, along with Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and LaShawn Robinson "In the 1996 landmark Sheff v. O’Neill case, the Connecticut Supreme Court found that minority students in Hartford's public schools 'suffered daily' due to racial and economic segregation." Listen & Read by Lucy Nalpathanchil and Carmen Baskauf HARTFORD COURANT May 30, 2014 Being Milo Sheff Was Worth It: 25 Years After Sheff v. O’Neill Desegregation Case, Lead Plaintiff Reflects On What He Helped Accomplish — And What He Learned Along The Way SMC NOTES: "We need the essence of Sheff v. O’Neill now, more than ever — the meaning, the schools, the teachers and parents who care, interactions with respect and courtesy between children and families of all races, tongues and ages. As a nation, we need this." Read Op-Ed by Milo Sheff

About the Case ABOUT THE CASE In 1989, when her son, Milo, was a fourth grade student at Annie Fisher Elementary School in Hartford, Elizabeth Horton Sheff joined with ten other families and began a long and arduous journey to redress the inequity between the level of education provided to students in Hartford public schools and that available to children in surrounding suburban districts. This journey has become known around the State of Connecticut, and throughout the United States, as Sheff vs. O’Neill –a landmark civil rights effort that seeks to prepare all children to live and prosper in an increasingly diverse, globally connected world. The plaintiffs in this case continue to advocate for the State of Connecticut to uphold the constitutional rights of children in Hartford schools. The original Sheff plaintiff families were: Milo Sheff, an African-American child residing in Hartford Wildaliz, Pedro, and Eva Bermudez, Latino children residing in Hartford Oskar and Waleska Melendez, Latino children residing in Glastonbury Martin Hamilton, an African-American child residing in Hartford Janelle Hughley, an African-American child residing in Hartford Neiima Best, an African-American child residing in Hartford Lisa Laboy, a Latino child residing in Hartford David and Michael Harrington, white children residing in Hartford Rachel and Joseph Leach, white children residing in West Hartford Erica and Tasha Connolly, white children residing in Hartford Michael and Dawn Perez, Latino children residing in Hartford To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

ARCHIVES NOTE: THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED (MARCH 2022) Student Videos "Justice Deferred: The Story of Sheff v. O'Neill" (2017) by Pei Yi Zhuo and Pei Chao Zhuo, Farmington High School for Connecticut History Day 2017 Awards: Hartford Regional Contest: First Place, Senior Group Documentary; State Contest Special Prizes: Outstanding Entry Related to Connecticut Law – Senior Prize Sponsored by the Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society “Rosaria” (2015) by Nicole Ellis of the Journalism and Media Academy, Winner of the Social Justice Award at the Reel Youth Hartford Film Festival "Separate But Unequal: Sheff v O’Neill" (2014) by TJ Noel-Sullivan of Classical Magnet School, a documentary recognized as the “Outstanding Entry in CT History” at the 2014 CT History Day competition. To see more of TJ’s award-winning videos, visit his YouTube Channel . Other Resources Integration Ambassadors: A Grassroots Network of Parents and Educators in Greater Hartford, Connecticut, Keeps Racial and Economic Diversity in Schools and on Agendas by Susan Eaton (2013) The Children in Room E4: American Education on Trial by Susan Eaton (2009) To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

SMC Updates < Back February 2015 Meeting Who: Led by SMC Staff/Leadership What: SMC Updates Where: Hartford Public High School (Library) - 55 Forest Street Hartford, CT When: February 21, 2015 at 3:00:00 PM The February Sheff Movement meeting will take place from 9:00am-10:30am in the library at Hartford Public High School , prior to the HPS Education Expo in order to facilitate coalition members’ participation in both events. Hartford Public High School (Library) 55 Forest Street Hartford, CT Parking: Please use on-street parking and leave the spaces in the lot for families attending the HPS Expo CHOICE EXPO Second Annual Education Expo Hosted by Hartford Public Schools Saturday, February 21 (10:00am – 1:00pm) Hartford Public High School Field House Learn more about school options and the school selection process for both Hartford District and Magnet Schools. Previous Next

SHEFF MOVEMENT ORGANIZING TEAM Lourdes Fonseca Lourdes Fonseca was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She has lived in Connecticut for the 29 years she has been in the U.S. Her passions are community organizing, education and social justice issues. Lourdes has worked in this field over the years in the following organizations: Hartford Areas Rally Together, Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, Achieve Hartford, Building Hartford Through Community Actions (BHCA), Center for Children's Advocacy, and currently the Center for Latino Progress and Sheff Movement Coalition. She is an active volunteer in her community, and she loves working with youth because they are our future! Sasha Davis Born and raised in Connecticut, Sasha received her Master of Public Administration and a graduate certificate in Leadership and Public Management from the University of Connecticut. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Organizational Studies from Bay Path College and an Associate of Arts from Capital Community College. She and her family reside in Berlin, Connecticut. In addition to her work with the Sheff Movement Coalition, Sasha is also currently a Policy Analyst at the School and State Finance Project. With a background in community organizing, program management, and education policy, Sasha brings a unique perspective and invaluable experience to all of her work. Sian Charles-Harris A former middle and high school humanities teacher, Sian now teaches English education courses focused on literacy pedagogy, human rights education, equity in literary practices and field experiences grounded in community advocacy to teacher candidates working toward initial teaching certification. Born and raised in Trinidad, Sian has taught and coached in city, suburban, public and independent schools in New York and Connecticut. Sian received her bachelor’s degree in English from St. Francis College, Brooklyn and her master’s in Secondary English Education from City College of New York. She is completing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education. Read more about Sheff Movement SBATs and CBATs here